Tag: california

Written By: Vanessa Bañuelos-Dawson

Disneyland warmly welcomed its first visitors to the new Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge on Friday,
May 31. The widely-anticipated expansion is the largest in the Anaheim park’s history. If you’re
one of the lucky few with advanced reservations to the Planet Batuu, Queen Bee Latina has
some helpful tips and tricks to help navigate the immersive Galaxy’s Edge.

Prior to June 24–Reservations are Required
In addition to Disneyland Park admission, all “travelers” need a reservation to enter Galaxy’s
Edge. Each reservation allows guests four hours in Galaxy’s Edge, and guests can enter at a
predetermined time when Disneyland Park is open. Reservation blocks typically start at 8am,
11am, 2pm, 5pm, and 8pm (assuming a normal 8am-12am day at Disneyland).

Online reservations are no longer available, but guests staying at one of Disneyland’s three
hotels (until June 23) are able to get one reservation slot during their time of stay. Reservations
can have a total of six people, and all legal names must be included on the reservation. Adults
18+ must provide legal identification upon reservation check-in; children under 18 do not require
ID.

All with advanced reservations will receive an email (or printout if booking through a Disney
resort) with a QR code and a list of names for all the people on the reservation. A print-out of
your reservation confirmation is not necessary to check-in at Launch Bay, but you will need to
bring it up on your mobile phone.

If you’re staying at a Disneyland Resort hotel, the hotel concierge can point you to a designated
Galaxy’s Edge booking room inside your hotel, where a Castmember can confirm your
reservation, adjust the spelling of names in your party, and can provide a print-out of your
confirmation email with QR code. This service is only available during certain business hours,
so please check that with your hotel.

Land Availability Beginning June 24
Beginning June 24, advance reservations are not needed to enter Galaxy’s Edge. Disney is
likely proceeding with a FastPass-type reservation system once guests are inside Disneyland
Park. Follow the Disney Parks Blog for details when this date approaches.

Checking In on the Day of Your Reservation
If you have advanced reservations, guests are able to check-in at Launch Bay in Tomorrowland
up to two hours prior to your reservation block. I recommend that you check-in as closely as you
can to those two prior hours because there are some reports of check-in going smooth and also
of check-in taking a lot of time.

When you arrive at Launch Bay, a Disney Castmember will check to see if you have a
reservation by asking you for your reservation confirmation letter. Again, you can either shothem a print-out or a copy of it on your mobile phone. You will then be directed to a line where a
Castmember will check that all people on the reservation are present and have the appropriate
ID. Please note that the main person on the reservation needs to be present at check-in, no
names can be changed at check-in, and all people in your party need to be present at check-in.
If some of your party is not able to enter with you, your partial party is still able to enter Galaxy’s
Edge as long as the main person on the reservation is present.

At check-in, all guests on the reservation will receive a wristband. These need to be kept on the
entire stay inside Galaxy’s Edge. Prior to leaving Launch Bay, make sure every person with the
wristband has their QR code scanned by a Castmember. According to Disney, this is needed to
“activate” the wristband. Prior to leaving Launch Bay, Castmembers will also inform you of
where you are to queue up for entering the land.

Queuing to Enter Galaxy’s Edge
As soon as you leave Launch Bay, you should know which entrance you need to queue up at.
From personal experience, the 8am reservations typically queue up at the Fantasyland entrance
(just past Casey Jr. and Red Rose Tavern), and all later reservations queue up at the Critter
Country entrance (just past Hungry Bear Restaurant). There will be a large crowd gathering in
those areas as your reservation start time nears, but don’t be discouraged.

It’s up to your party to determine when to queue up for your start time. If your party is turned off
by crowds, it’s perfectly acceptable to wait up until 30 minutes prior to get into the queue. If your
party is anxious to be first for busy experiences like Savi’s Workshop for Handbuilt Lightsabers
or Oga’s Cantina, you may want to be in the queue one to two hours prior.

Castmembers are known to let the queue partially enter Galaxy’s Edge up to 30 minutes prior,
but no one will be allowed to enter the land until the reservation start time. When proceeding
through the queue, Castmembers will continually check for wristbands, so again, ensure it’s on
your wrist for your entire stay.

Experiences with Very Limited Availability
The two most popular, but limited experiences are Savi’s Lightsabers and Oga’s Cantina. If you
are looking to do both in one day, there is a very slim probability you’ll have the opportunity
unless you split up your party. Because both experiences accept only a limited amount of
people, it’s best to focus on one and try to get in line for the experience once you enter the land.
Savi’s allows less than 20 people in one 30-minute interval to make a handbuilt lightsaber. The
cost for one of the land’s most intimate experiences is $200 plus tax per lightsaber. Queen Bee
Latina was able to experience this on Opening Day, and has a breakdown of its experience here

Oga’s Cantina is a long awaited experience for Star Wars fans. The opening marks the first
public offering of alcohol in Disneyland Park. Oga’s is a family-friendly bar atmosphere with
unique drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Three of Galaxy’s Edge’s most coveted souvenirs can be found at Oga’s—a Porg tiki mug, an Endor tiki mug, and a Rancor Beer Flight
Board with four “teeth” beer flight cups. The souvenir mugs are only available with the purchase
of its respective drink (the Cliff Dweller, the Yub Nub, and beer flight).

Savi’s and Oga’s both have a waitlist that fills rapidly. Use a Disneyland map or the Disneyland
app to find each location and safely walk to those areas. In my last experience for Oga’s, prior
to being allowed to enter the land, Castmembers informed guests of safely following behind a
Castmember with a flag. Those who sped up in front of the Castmember, or unsafely didn’t heed
the Castmember’s direction were not allowed to put in a reservation at Oga’s. Once you provide
your cell phone number to a Castmember making reservations, they will text you with a return
time window, which allows you to explore the rest of Galaxy’s Edge without waiting in a long,
unnecessary line.

There aren’t many food options at Oga’s, but try the Oga’s Obsession treat if you want to
consume something a little “out of this world.”

Readily-Available Experiences
There are several readily-available experiences at Galaxy’s Edge, all in thanks to the
reservation window system. Shopping, eating, and riding the new Millennium Falcon Smugglers
Run ride can all be done in a four-hour window.

Smugglers Run is first of two rides to open in Galaxy’s Edge, and allows for the opportunity to
be a pilot, gunner, or engineer for the majestic Millennium Falcon ship. There is a height
restriction, so be sure to check with a Castmember to see if you “youngling” can ride. To ensure
you get the “job” you want on this ride, group your friends to either five or six people, as the ride
holds six at one time. If you have any in your party that is a video game expert, they will be the
best pilot. Every “job” is interactive, as you smuggle precious cargo for the pirate Hondo
Ohnaka.

The lines for Smugglers Run were pretty tame during opening weekend. On Day 2, I waited 40
minutes, and on Day 4, I waited five minutes and then walked on for a second ride. You can
afford to ride Smugglers Run an hour or so after you enter the land. Try to ride it within your first
2.5 hours, as another large group of “travelers” will start their reservation time at your third hour.

Extend your Adventure with the Play Disney App
My favorite feature of Galaxy’s Edge is the ability to extend your personal adventure via the Play
Disney app. This app is separate from the Disneyland app, but you can connect your profiles
and set up your Star Wars character. There are several locations with hotspots to unlock special
features and earn Galactic credits (fictional money). You can also decide to aid either the
Resistance (good guys), First Order (bad guys), or the Scoundrels (out for themselves), and
each decision you make builds your personal Star Wars adventure.

Be sure to bring backup batteries for your cell phone, or buy a FuelRod battery pack inside
Disneyland if you plan to use the Play Disney app. FuelRods are $30 and you can change them
out any time you see a kiosk. So far, no FuelRod kiosks have been reported in Galaxy’s Edge.

Shopping
There are several shopping opportunities throughout Galaxy’s Edge. Custom items like Savi’s
Lightsabers and the build-your-own-droid experience at Droid Depot are the most popular
shopping locations in the land. Be sure to check out the Marketplace for fun items including
plush, wooden, and interactive toys. The Creatures Stall in the Marketplace is where you’ll find
the cutest, yet strangest pets in the galaxy to take home.

Two other locations to shop are Resistance Supply and First Order Cargo, where you can
purchase items supporting your favorite side.

Food and Beverages
There is a limited food selection at Galaxy’s Edge, so take a look at the menus for each location
to see if you want to eat inside the land, or “off-plant” at another location in Disneyland.

Quick-service food locations include Docking Bay 7 and Ronto Roasters. Quick snacks are
available at Kat Saka’s Kettle (which I loved!) and the Milk Stand. My favorite treats in the land
were the popcorn mix at Kat Saka’s and the Blue Milk made famous by Luke Skywalker in the
movie ‘A New Hope.’

If you have picky eaters, it may be best to bring snacks or eat elsewhere.

Water fountains and water bottle fill stations are readily available throughout Galaxy’s Edge. Be
sure to check out the fountain area in the Marketplace, as you may find a creature stirring in the
water tank above.

PhotoPass
Disney didn’t miss any opportunity to provide PhotoPass options inside Galaxy’s Edge. I saw
three major areas for photos inside the land, in the Resistance area, First Order area, and in
front of the Millennium Falcon. Be sure to take advantage of the great photos Castmembers can
take, and ask if you can add a “hologram” to add an extra touch of Disney magic.

There are so many things to see, do, shop for, and eat at Galaxy’s Edge. As the land develops
ways to better enhance “travelers’” experiences in the land, things will adjust accordingly. It’s
incredible to see the hard work of Disney Imagineering and LucasFilm in person. Enjoy every bit
of it, and may the Force be with you!

Vanessa Bañuelos-Dawson is a Disney-loving, nonprofit professional based in Southern California. She contributes to lifestyle blogs when not enjoying the sights, sounds, and shopping at Disneyland. A graduate (B.A. and M.A.) of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film, she’s an avid fan of movies.